“Dr. Bob’s Modular” sound library benefits Bob Moog Foundation

California-based sound designers Drew Neumann and Kevin Lamb have joined forces to create a sound library, Dr. Bob’s Modular, as a benefit for the Bob Moog Foundation. Sounds from Dr. Bob’s Modular were sampled from a vintage modular Moog System 15 belonging to collector Dr. Howie Shen.

The sample library of unique modular synthesizer sounds is available in the Native Instruments Kontakt 3.1 format here.

The library of over 120 sounds is available for $50, while smaller bundles of 13 sounds each are available for $10 apiece. Purchase of the entire library offers significant savings.

All bundles come with a special Bob Moog Foundation electronic drum kit. Two compositions made with sounds from the library, Bad Monkeys and BMF Carol of the Bells, can be heard here,and on SoundCloud hereand here.

Fifty percent of all proceeds from the purchase of the library and bundles go to benefit the Bob Moog Foundation.

Dr. Bob’s Modular is a download-only sample library created to honor synthesizer pioneer Bob Moog’s memory and to support the Foundation’s mission of igniting creativity at the intersection of music, history, science, and innovation. Kontakt was chosen because it is a widely supported platform with powerful synthesis capabilities of its own. Kontakt supports monolithic file formats that make web downloads and installations easy. There is a free downloadable Kontakt Player available at Native Instruments’ website.

The full version of Kontakt is recommended for users who would like to dig deeper and want to edit and create their own new sounds using the raw waveforms.

The technology: Drew and Kevin used a Redmaticas software suite of sampler development tools controlling an Encore midi to CV converter driving a vintage modular system 15. A wide variety of raw waveforms and complex percussive sounds were captured directly into a DC-coupled audio interface and edited and looped at 24 bits/48khz sampling rate. These were then programmed in Kontakt to make them musically playable and expressive.

Why sampling? Dont we already have plugins for this stuff? Yes, Moog Modular V and SampleMoog (among others) are fine products, and both Kevin and Drew are artists and sound developers for Arturia. However, none of those products is offered specifically as a fundraiser for the Foundation. The original real vintage synthesizer has many interesting quirks and loads of character that come through in the final product.

Droomusic.com is a work of collaboration between award-winning and renowned composers/sound designers Drew Neumann and Kevin Lamb, who have nearly 70 years of combined experience working with analog synthesizers, both as builders and as players. The website offers extremely affordable sounds ready for immediate download.

Neumann and Lamb state, “Both of us became interested in electronic music through Dr. Moog’s wonderful instrumentsa passionate interest that led to our careers. We feel that this is one way we can give something back, to help a new generation discover music technologies, and to honor Dr. Moog’s highly influential work.”

Listen to “Bad Monkeys” here:

Special thanks from Drew and Kevin:

To Dr. Howie Shen, who generously loaned us his freshly restored System 15 for a week for programming and sampling.

To Michelle Moog-Koussa, who brought our proposal before the BMF Board and got us permission to do this.

Kevin Lamb (premeditatedmusic.com) has worked as a sound designer for Dave Smith Instruments and as a keyboardist, synthesizer programmer, keyboard tech and engineer for a number of notable international acts such as the Temptations , Chad Hugo (Neptunes), Guitar Legends, BBC, John Wetton, Phil Manzanera, Tam White, Boz Burrell, Heitor Pereria, Steve Goodman, Simply Red, Thompson Twins, Icehouse, Vitamin Z, Take 6, The End, The Doors, Al Jarreau, Device, Tavares and the Four Tops. He is an Ivor Novello nominated composer for UK/European television. Kevin also creates sounds for synthesizer manufacturers and libraries, including Moog, Arturia, and Native Instruments. He is the designer of v4 firmware for C-Thru-Music’s AxiS-64 MIDI controller.

The Bob Moog Foundation(www.moogfoundation.org) honors the legacy of synthesizer pioneer Bob Moog through its mission of educating and inspiring people with the intersection of music, history, science, and innovation. Its projects include the Dr. Bob’s SoundSchool program that brings electronic musical instruments into the schools to teach children science through music; the Archive Preservation Initiative, an effort to preserve and protect the inventor’s extensive and historic archive; and the future Moogseum, an innovative educational, historic, and cultural facility to be located in Asheville within the next five years.

The Bob Moog Foundation is an independent, donor-driven 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization and is not formally affiliated with Moog Music, Inc.